Five Gables Inn & Spa in St. Michaels, Maryland

Julie Register, Your Guide to Spas, visited this spa on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in April 2002.

Click HERE for photos of The Queen Suite in The Five Gables Inn & Spa's Brick House and other Inn Photos Click HERE to See Photos of the Spa at The Five Gables Inn & Spa Click HERE to See Photos of the St. Michaels Area Contact Five Gables Inn & Spa • Address: 209 North Talbot Street St. Michaels, MD 21663 • Phone: 410.745.0100 • Toll Free: 877.466.0100 • Fax: 410.745.2903 • Email • Web Site • Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum • The Rebecca Ruark • The Mind's Eye Craft Collection • St. Michaels Crab & Steak House • Lavender Hill Spa in Calistoga, California • Aveda Books About the Chesapeake • Chesapeake by James A. Michener • Bayside Impressions : Maryland's Eastern Shore & the Chesapeake Bay by James D. Iams, James Drake Iams • Birds of the Chesapeake Bay by John W. Taylor • Chesapeake Bay : Nature of the Estuary, a Field Guide by Christopher P. White • Chesapeake Bay Cooking with John Shields : The Companion Cookbook to the Public Television Show by John Shields • Chesapeake Bay Skipjacks by Pat Vojtech • Chesapeake Ferries : A Waterborne Tradition, 1636-2000 by Clara Ann Simmons • Chesapeake, the Eastern Shore : Gardens & Houses • From a Lighthouse Window : Recipes & Recollections from the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum • Mid-Atlantic & Chesapeake : Starring the Best Restaurants & Inn of the Chesapeake Bay, Tidewater & Eastern Shores by Kathleen D. Fish Spas in Maryland • Destination, Resort & Hotel Spas in Maryland • Day Spas in Maryland

Sometimes it's easy to overlook treasures in your own back yard. That has certainly been the case with me. I have been to spas around the world but not many within driving distance of my home. I decided to correct this oversight starting with a visit to the Five Gables Inn & Spa in St. Michaels, Maryland - a scenic drive through rural countryside and less than two hours from my home in Wilmington, DE. The Eastern Shore of Maryland has interested me ever since I read Michener's Chesapeake years ago and I looked forward to spending time in that part of the country.

Snug on the shore of the broad Miles River, historic St. Michaels has a lot to offer - museums, boating, shopping, and restaurants. Its picturesque streets are lined with quaint buildings that have been lovingly restored to serve as homes, boutiques, restaurants, and B&B's. Three of these charming buildings from the 1860's make up the Five Gables Inn & Spa. Owners John and Bonnie Booth acquired The Brick House in 1992 and offered two guest rooms just on weekends. They eventually expanded to the buildings next door in 1995 and across the street in 1998 and now offer a total of 12 rooms and 3 suites year-round.

The Brick House

I had the good fortune to stay in the Queen Suite - the entire second floor of The Brick House. This suite offers a cozy sitting room with TV/VCR and gas fireplace separated from a bedroom by French doors. The bedroom is home to a queen-size bed crowned with a whimsical birdhouse headboard, wall-mounted TV and a separate bathroom with shower. Another bath with a large whirlpool tub is located off the sitting room separated by two additional French doors. Through another door in the sitting room is a large balcony with Adirondack chairs - perfect for relaxing and watching the world go by on the street below. There is also a bar area with a small refrigerator at the top of the entry stairs. In-room amenities include Aveda bath products, Frette towels, thick terry robes, down comforter, CD player, hair dryers, iron and ironing board. I spent a lot of time in the evenings in the whirlpool tub watching The Travel Channel - two pleasures I don't have at home.

The Spa

In the morning, a continental breakfast of fruit, muffins, bread, juice, coffee, and tea is offered on the second floor of the main building. This is also the building that houses the Spa - an addition to the inn inspired by a trip the Booths took to The Lavender Hill Spa in Calistoga, California. The second-floor Aveda concept spa currently consists of two multi-purpose treatment rooms, a hydrotherapy room for two with its own bathroom and a couples treatment room. Beneath these on the first floor is a sauna, steam room, changing rooms and a small indoor pool. Future spa expansion plans include two additional treatment rooms, one with a Swiss shower for wet body treatments.

I had the "The Ultimate" - a 30 minute facial, a 20 minute soak in a hydrotherapy tub, and a one hour massage. My therapist, Glynda, met me at the reception desk and led me upstairs. She explained that the facial would be first. Although only a half an hour, the facial was amazingly thorough and, with the exception of extractions and steam, had all of the features of most hour-long facials I've had - cleansing followed by a hot towel, grainy exfoliant followed by a hot towel, liquid exfoliant, herbal mask to nourish and moisten the skin followed by a hot towel and a moisturizer. I liked the hot towel. If it does the same job as steam, I think I prefer it.

Next came the hydrotherapy tub soak. As we walked in the large hydrotherapy room that holds two tubs, it suddenly crossed my mind that, since my room had a whirlpool tub, a hydrotherapy treatment would be an unnecessary duplication. Hold that thought - I'll get back to it. Glynda had filled the hydro-tub with water and asked me to choose which essential oils to have in the bath and again later in the massage. I liked patchouli, cedar, and lemongrass and had trouble making up my mind. Glynda asked if I had ever tried tangerine (from fruit peels - aromatherapy: soothing action almost hypnotic - skin: skin tonic, brings color to pale skin) and ylang-ylang (from flowers - aromatherapy: relaxes the nervous system, eases shock and panic - stimulating for the scalp). She opened the bottles and I decided that would be a great combination. She added them to the tub. She got me a glass of water, left the room and allowed me to soak in privacy for 20 blissful minutes. Now about a whirlpool tub vs. a hydrotherapy tub - there is no comparison. While a whirlpool tub is wonderfully relaxing, it only has about 6-10 jets. A hydrotherapy tub has what may be hundreds of jets and takes that relaxing feeling to a whole different level. There was no duplication. It was fabulous.

After the soak, Glynda led me back to the treatment room for a massage. While I'd like to provide a detailed description of the massage, I can't. I quickly zoned out and all I know was the massage was great. When it was over, Glynda gave me a bottled water with instructions to drink lots of water for the rest of the day. I floated across the street to my suite and "recovered" by taking a short nap. It was great!

Other treatments and therapies offered include:

HERBAL BATH TREATMENT
Relax in a warm bath for 20 minutes while high-powered jets circulate water around your body

MASSAGE THERAPY
Alleviates soreness and tension, enhances circulation, releases tight spots and transports you from stress to a quieter, calmer place. 45, 60, or 90 minutes

FACIALS
Each facial is targeted to restore and maintain skin beauty and health. Light touch and relaxing facial massage is combined with plant derived Aveda lotions for an invigorating experience. 30 or 60 (with neck, foot & shoulder massage) minutes.

BODY POLISH
Includes 45 minute massage for a total of 70 minutes

SPA ADDITIONS
Foot Relief Treatment with Aveda Foot Relief 15 minutes
Quick mini Facial with Aveda facial products 15 minutes

HALF DAY AT THE SPA
Hydrotherapy Tub bath with 1 Hour Massage and use of the Heated Indoor Pool, Steam Room and Sauna. Also offered with 30 minute Facial.

The Spa recommends advanced spa reservations.

The Perfect Romantic Getaway

The Five Gables Inn & Spa is an ideal getaway for couples. The spa's hydrotherapy room with two tubs and the couples treatment room make a perfect place for two to enjoy spa treatments together then retire to one of the inn's cozy rooms. At the time of my visit, The Five Gables Inn & Spa offered a number of couples packages that made it even more enticing:

SPA & SAIL PACKAGE - Two night's accommodation in a room with whirlpool, porch and fireplace. Continental breakfast each morning. A one-hour massage each and a two-hour sail aboard a Skipjack with your choice of picnic basket. $450-$895+. May 3 - November 10, 2002

THE SECOND HONEYMOON PACKAGE - Two night's accommodation in a room or suite with double whirlpool, porch and fireplace. Continental breakfast each morning. 1 dozen roses, romantic candles, a couples massage and a bottle of champagne in your room on your return from the Spa. $395-$900+. May 3 - November 10, 2002

1 NIGHT RUNAWAY PACKAGE - One night’s accommodation in a room with whirlpool, porch and fireplace, Continental breakfast in the morning, choice of 1 hour massage or 1 hour facial each. $285-$335+. Sunday through Thursday May - October, 2002

COUPLE UP ON THE CHESAPEAKE - This two-night package includes accommodations in a room or suite with a double whirlpool tub, fireplace and porch. Upon arrival, guests are treated to a one-hour couples massage topped off with an awaiting candlelit room, chilled bottle of fine champagne and fresh strawberries. $530-$750+.

Check with the inn for current packages.

Other Items of Note

The Five Gables Inn & Spa offers complementary bicycles but is within easy walking distance of everything in St. Michaels. I found the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum very interesting. From the stacked barrels representing the oysters in the bay in the early 1800's (~100) to 1997 (2) to the punt guns, battery guns and sink boxes used to market hunt ducks and geese, to the decoy display, to the Hooper Straight Light House, the museum does a great job of presenting the history of the bay. I saw the Skipjack Rebecca Ruark, built in 1886 and one of the few remaining sailing oyster boats. Captain Wade Murphy offers year-round sailing on the bay - two-hour trips and longer chartered excursions. I poked around the many boutiques and antique shops and found too many things I liked at The Mind's Eye Craft Collection. I enjoyed crab soup and a broiled crab cake at the St. Michaels Crab & Steak House at the St. Michaels Marina. I wandered west to Tilghman Island (a place I had read about in our local newspaper for their fire hall's oyster and shrimp feasts) in search of the perfect sunset. It was a lovely, relaxing getaway that I would recommend to anyone, but specially to those living within a two hour drive - Washington DC, Baltimore MD, Wilmington DE, Philadelphia PA and anywhere in between.

A final unique note about the inn - it is dog-friendly. In addition to offering Flying Fred's dog boutique, the Five Gables Inn & Spa provides a dog bed for dogs to use during their stay, doggie blankets, plenty of treats, and a special souvenir for an additional charge per night ($25 at the time of my visit). The inn has allocated a number of first-floor rooms for guests and dogs, allowing one (at least 1 yr old and weighing less than 80 lbs) per room. Dogs are not allowed in the breakfast room or Spa and must be crated when left unattended. Pets are booked only with advance reservation.

Photos copyright 2002, Julie Register
Licensed to About.com
unless marked * which are courtesy of The Five Gables Inn & Spa

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